I thought Mellor got a significant injury. On a football level he’s in the wilderness. On a personal level he’s a classic example of elite academy failure that makes me so angry. There was no way he was going to make it at Utd. They kept in under the academy comfort blanket way too long before releasing him and then he’s in free fall as he’s not experienced proper football to develop.
Elite academies identify the elite assets as young as eight. The also rans in the academy are kept on to make up the numbers in practice and take the intense spotlight off the star kids (although of course the coaches in reality have the stars development under a microscope). It is what it is, and we benefit from the odd diamond in the rough that gets spat out (vis Anis).
Whilst the clubs are culpable parents can exacerbate the problem in failing to manage kids expectations. Unfortunately too many see it as the family’s way out to fortune which puts crushing pressure on the kid and makes ‘failure’ a terrible mental issue in the game.
There are fairy tales though, Dan Burn was released by Newcastle one Christmas as an eleven year old (nice timing!). Yesterday he scored for his boyhood club in the Prem.
For every Dan Burn there’s a thousand heartbroken kids. Whilst the elite teams can take on an almost unlimited amount of kids this poisonous system will continue. And yes you are correct parents are culpable as they see a meal ticket and in a lot of cases a way out of poverty.
In recent years private academies have also started offering the chance of the dream in exchange for large amounts of cash. This is usually for kids who didn’t make it at club academies but who parents still feel could be their meal ticket. I’ve heard stories of families sacrificing everything to finance little Jonny in these places that are not much more than fun excursion.
All of this is symptomatic of the hideous amount of cash that lands at the top of the pyramid.
It was Kashket who was badly hurt playing for Sutton I think. Mellor’s career seems to be in complete free fall, which is very sad. He played some Europa League games for United, so they obviously didn’t regard him as completely hopeless.
Anyone seen Neil Harman’s post (Close Quarters author) on ‘X’?With Gaz who has a boot (big plastic not knackered red snake skin!) in his left leg and crutches. Old injury now with time to heal or is he still playing Sunday League?
Nothing particularly new or revelatory here but it was the strange use (several times) of the Richingsesque “…,he would later sign for.,,” rather than “….he later signed for…” or perhaps better “…in March 2021 [or whenever] he signed for….” that caught my eye.
If you say so, @ReturnToSenda. I can’t comment on “football writing” as my experience of that particular genre is restricted almost exclusively to the Gasroom where use of the past historic tense is rarely seen.
‘Would’ in the past tense is fine when used in relation to past events, activities etc which used to occur on more than one occasion - eg “his father would often read bedtime stories to him to help him get to sleep.” It’s very clunky (to use @Malone’s word) in the context of a one-off past event or activity.
I recall that @Malone commented recently on James Richings’ occasionally strange writing style and I think he had in mind, inter alia, the repetition in a single article of expressions like “…he would later sign a new contract”.
Thanks, @Malone. My memory still serves me well on occasion !
I haven’t bought or read newspapers on a regular basis for decades but I was lucky enough in my younger and middle years to be brought up on the superb football journalism of the likes of Henry Winter, Brian Glanville and Hugh Mcilvanney. I’m fairly confident that, if they resorted to “… he would later sign for…” rather than “…he later signed for….”, they would not have repeated that turn of phrase several times in a short passage of prose. But they are the cream of the crop, of course.
Good to hear, @ReturnToSenda. I felt bad about making an issue out of something that, in the greater scheme of things, is so completely trivial.
But it was the reminder (sparked by the Al-Hamadi piece) of our local journalist’s linguistic idiosyncrasies that prompted me, at a time when I should have been fast asleep, to write a comment.
I’ve not read (in mrs micra’s treasured copy of today’s BFP) his latest offerings but it sometimes feels as if English may not be his first language.
Interesting article, with a perfect example of the appropriate use of “would become” rather than “became” in the opening paragraph. Shame about the use of ‘beguile’ instead of the no doubt intended ‘belies’ in the tenth (?) paragraph.
Comments
It’s Roy Keane and Paul McCarthy.
Can't believe we've missed out on signing this guy again 🤣 Probably in better fitness than Lyle was last week
https://www.basfordunited.com/news/new-signing-nathan-tyson-2822794.html
Ok @Malone , howsabout “…not having played anything like…” ?
You know it makes sense !
I read that as dunky which sent me to Google where I was informed that it was a diminutive of Duncan ! Ferguson immediately came to mind.
Anis starts for Bristol City today, go on my son !.
The lad far left looks like Dave from Only Fools. Has he won a painting competition or something?
Is Dom Gape injured? He doesn’t seem to have featured in Sutton’s last few games. Mellor seems to be MIA too.
Are you trigger in disguise ?
Yes, he limped off one of his first matches and never came back, poor chap.
I thought Mellor got a significant injury. On a football level he’s in the wilderness. On a personal level he’s a classic example of elite academy failure that makes me so angry. There was no way he was going to make it at Utd. They kept in under the academy comfort blanket way too long before releasing him and then he’s in free fall as he’s not experienced proper football to develop.
Elite academies identify the elite assets as young as eight. The also rans in the academy are kept on to make up the numbers in practice and take the intense spotlight off the star kids (although of course the coaches in reality have the stars development under a microscope). It is what it is, and we benefit from the odd diamond in the rough that gets spat out (vis Anis).
Whilst the clubs are culpable parents can exacerbate the problem in failing to manage kids expectations. Unfortunately too many see it as the family’s way out to fortune which puts crushing pressure on the kid and makes ‘failure’ a terrible mental issue in the game.
There are fairy tales though, Dan Burn was released by Newcastle one Christmas as an eleven year old (nice timing!). Yesterday he scored for his boyhood club in the Prem.
For every Dan Burn there’s a thousand heartbroken kids. Whilst the elite teams can take on an almost unlimited amount of kids this poisonous system will continue. And yes you are correct parents are culpable as they see a meal ticket and in a lot of cases a way out of poverty.
In recent years private academies have also started offering the chance of the dream in exchange for large amounts of cash. This is usually for kids who didn’t make it at club academies but who parents still feel could be their meal ticket. I’ve heard stories of families sacrificing everything to finance little Jonny in these places that are not much more than fun excursion.
All of this is symptomatic of the hideous amount of cash that lands at the top of the pyramid.
Rant over
It was Kashket who was badly hurt playing for Sutton I think. Mellor’s career seems to be in complete free fall, which is very sad. He played some Europa League games for United, so they obviously didn’t regard him as completely hopeless.
If it’s a boy, they’re gonna name him Rodney. After Dave.
Al-Hamadi with another goal, this time in a 5-2 victory against Pompey in the JPT.
He then left the field with an injury. Hopefully he is okay
Wycombe v Wimbledon in the southern final, for an AAH derby? Talk about a blockbuster!
Anyone seen Neil Harman’s post (Close Quarters author) on ‘X’?With Gaz who has a boot (big plastic not knackered red snake skin!) in his left leg and crutches. Old injury now with time to heal or is he still playing Sunday League?
unfortunate stage dive.
Nothing particularly new or revelatory here but it was the strange use (several times) of the Richingsesque “…,he would later sign for.,,” rather than “….he later signed for…” or perhaps better “…in March 2021 [or whenever] he signed for….” that caught my eye.
https://www.teamtalk.com/news/who-is-ali-al-hamadi-iraqi-sensationa-chased-peterborough-leeds-providing-hope-country
Perfectly common in football writing. Nothing wrong with it imo.
If you say so, @ReturnToSenda. I can’t comment on “football writing” as my experience of that particular genre is restricted almost exclusively to the Gasroom where use of the past historic tense is rarely seen.
‘Would’ in the past tense is fine when used in relation to past events, activities etc which used to occur on more than one occasion - eg “his father would often read bedtime stories to him to help him get to sleep.” It’s very clunky (to use @Malone’s word) in the context of a one-off past event or activity.
I recall that @Malone commented recently on James Richings’ occasionally strange writing style and I think he had in mind, inter alia, the repetition in a single article of expressions like “…he would later sign a new contract”.
More on Ali here
https://londonfootballscene.co.uk/2023/12/21/ali-al-hamadi-from-fleeing-war-torn-iraq-to-finding-a-home-at-afc-wimbledon/
There was certainly one odd article where he constantly used the "would" approach and it definitely didn't read right at all.
Thanks, @Malone. My memory still serves me well on occasion !
I haven’t bought or read newspapers on a regular basis for decades but I was lucky enough in my younger and middle years to be brought up on the superb football journalism of the likes of Henry Winter, Brian Glanville and Hugh Mcilvanney. I’m fairly confident that, if they resorted to “… he would later sign for…” rather than “…he later signed for….”, they would not have repeated that turn of phrase several times in a short passage of prose. But they are the cream of the crop, of course.
I believe Brian Glanville is still writing, for World Soccer magazine. He's 92.
@micra And I agree with you on the repetition of 'he would...' - it can definitely be overused.
Good to hear, @ReturnToSenda. I felt bad about making an issue out of something that, in the greater scheme of things, is so completely trivial.
But it was the reminder (sparked by the Al-Hamadi piece) of our local journalist’s linguistic idiosyncrasies that prompted me, at a time when I should have been fast asleep, to write a comment.
I’ve not read (in mrs micra’s treasured copy of today’s BFP) his latest offerings but it sometimes feels as if English may not be his first language.
Just caught up with this, @wwfcblue.
Interesting article, with a perfect example of the appropriate use of “would become” rather than “became” in the opening paragraph. Shame about the use of ‘beguile’ instead of the no doubt intended ‘belies’ in the tenth (?) paragraph.
That one article was particularly odd as it was not only a strange turn of phrase, but absolutely repeatedly used.